EDITORIAL: NIU should wait before it decides Cole Hall's future

Friday

Feb 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 29, 2008 at 1:39 AM

Illinois lawmakers should reject the idea presented Wednesday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Northern Illinois University President John Peters to tear down Cole Hall and borrow $40 million to replace it.

Illinois lawmakers should reject the idea presented Wednesday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Northern Illinois University President John Peters to tear down Cole Hall and borrow $40 million to replace it.

There are lots of reasons why razing Cole Hall is the wrong way to go. Most of all, the decision comes too quickly for a campus still grieving after the shooting deaths of five students Feb. 14.

It is too soon to make any rational decisions. The proposal seems driven more by emotion than common sense, which may be natural but it’s not wise.

It would be better if NIU followed Virginia Tech’s example: Wait until the pain subsides before any decisions are made.

It was less than a year ago when 32 students were killed at Virginia Tech. Norris Hall, the site of the shootings, reopened two months later and a task force was formed to determine its future. The school will spend about $1 million to remodel the second floor of the building and make it the home of a Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.

Some NIU students say they can never enter Cole Hall again. We understand, but tearing down the building will not erase the awful memories. Imagine if we tore down every building that something bad happened in.

As much as NIU needs a new building, the proposed Memorial Hall would be as tainted as a still-standing Cole Hall. Students would walk by the building and know it exists only because people died.

A proper memorial should be established, but more thought should be given to what that may be. Creating a scholarship fund in the name of the slain students seems appropriate.

There’s no telling what the five slain students would have achieved if they had finished their education and moved on to the work world. Other students could realize their potential with a little help, creating a living tribute to those whose lives were cut short.

Parents and loved ones of the slain students were not approached before Wednesday’s announcement. They should have been consulted first to ask them what they thought the appropriate course should be. It’s not too late. They should involved in any decision about a memorial or about Cole Hall.

We can’t blame Peters for being open to the governor’s proposal. NIU has been neglected for years, along with all the other universities in the state. The statewide deferred maintenance backlog is about $2 billion.

It may be crass, but as a practical matter, this may be NIU’s only chance at getting anything of substance from the state.

Which makes us wonder how the state can afford it. The state has a $3.6 billion deficit, can’t pay its bills on time, yet here we have a tragedy and the state’s checkbook is about to magically open.

It smacks of political opportunism. There are so many needs in the state, from a fairer way to finance education to the creation of a capital construction program to fix roads, bridges and help all universities with their building needs.

The governor appears to be trying to score points and deflect attention after he was named as Public Official A in the federal corruption case against Tony Rezko, a former Blagojevich fundraiser.

Or perhaps we’re too harsh. Perhaps he, too, is caught up in the emotion of the moment. Yet another reason to wait before any action is taken.

The proposal puts lawmakers in a tough situation, as they will be asked to approve $40 million in state money to build Memorial Hall. The state would sell bonds to borrow the $40 million. The dollars to repay the loan probably would come out of the state’s general fund.

Lawmakers will seem uncaring if they vote against the proposal and seem fiscally irresponsible if they vote for it.

There is no need to rush. Let grief run its course, form a task force and then decide what’s best for NIU, its students and Cole Hall.

Rockford Register Star

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